England has had its joint hottest summer on record, the Met Office said. Provisional figures show the summer of 2022, covering June, July and August, had an average temperature of 17.1C, tying with 2018 to be the warmest in records stretching back to 1884.
It means that four of the five warmest summers on record for England have occurred since 2003, as the effect of human-induced climate change is felt on the country’s summer temperatures, the Met Office said. The hot summer included the record-breaking heat in July, which saw temperatures climb above 40C for the first time in the UK, as climate change drives more frequent and intense heatwaves.
Much of England has been gripped by drought after months of low rainfall, with the hot, dry conditions drying up rivers, damaging crops and fuelling wildfires that have destroyed homes and land. Dr Mark McCarthy, of the National Climate Information Centre, said: “For many, this summer’s record-breaking heat in July – where temperatures reached 40.3C at Coningsby in Lincolnshire – will be the season’s most memorable aspect.
